Vitamin ME!

Vitamin Me... I knew I was seriously in need of some because I took this quiz and it confirmed that I was desperately in need of some down time. So I spent last night from around midnight to 1am drafting this great post about it and then I spent all morning fixing it up. And then...I accidentally deleted the whole thing. What little levels I had of Vitamin Me have now surely sunk into the negative zone. I'm tired and devastated.

Any writer who has deleted a piece of work knows they can never replicate what was there before but this is my time-poor, desperate attempt (because I really do need some Vitamin Me)! Perhaps not as good as the original but here goes...

So what is Vitamin Me? It's the brainchild of Tourism Queensland (big kudos to their PR team) who describe it like this: "It’s activated by adrenaline, wonder and excitement. Found in oysters, white wine, nature and good times. It’s the antidote to routine, an elixir for the spirit".

Am I in need of an antidote to routine and an elixir for the spirit? You be the judge.

I go to bed every night some time between midnight and 1am. I am awoken between 3 and 4am most nights by my two year old calling my name and then alarms start going off at 6am to get everyone up for work and school. I'm sleep deprived, look like a zombie most mornings (just ask the mums who see me crawling through the school gates every day) and am functioning on auto-pilot.

My mornings involve getting three boys ready for school - feeding them breakfast, dressing them, overseeing teeth brushing, yelling at them to pick up toys whilst cleaning up and putting loads of washing on. It's no surprise that most mornings I run out of time to actually feed myself. I know breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day but I come last and sometimes that translates to no breakfast!

By the time I drop everyone off where they need to be, grab some things from the supermarket and do the daily chores (washing, ironing, vacuuming, mopping) and preparing dinner as well as doing some work for my husband's new business, it's time to go and pick them all up. Notice lunch didn't get a mention.When I do eat something, it can't actually be described as a meal.

The afternoon routine involves homework, baths and lunch-making for the following day. Once soccer and swimming begin, I'll also be ferrying the boys to and fro from there! By the time I've finished cleaning up, putting more loads of washing on and helping my husband with work projects, it's midnight. I actually drafted the original post for this at a quarter past midnight. That sadly, is what I class as "me time". That's when I blog or grab a cup of coffee and watch a pre-taped episode of a favourite show. Hardly an elixir for the spirit.

Even a trip to the bathroom doesn't afford me any downtime. There is usually a child pounding on the door calling my name. When I'm not in there, my two year old is following me around calling "Mum, Mum, c'mon Mum" as he tries to drag me somewhere. He thinks I'm his personal slave and his brothers aren't much better.  Much as I love the sound of "Mum", when it's repeated a hundred times a day, it starts to do your head in. Seriously.

So if there's some Vitamin Me up for grabs, I unashamedly kneel before you and beg you to give it to me. Please.

So, how would I choose to have this boost of Vitamin Me? Well, if I were a water lover, I'd definitely take my shot at the Great Barrier Reef, and snorkel in one of the most beautiful places on Earth...

If I were an animal lover, I would visit Sea World or Australia Zoo and fall in love with all creatures great and small. I would love to return to the Africa enclosure at Australia Zoo and be mesmerised by the gorgeous giraffes and zebras.

For the thrill seekers, there are plenty of theme parks throughout the state of Queensland which will test your mettle. Dreamworld and Waterworld are just two that spring to mind...

There are literally hundreds of places and experiences to choose from when you visit Tourism Queensland's site - from rainforests to beaches, fine dining experiences to thrill-seeking adventures, there's something for everyone.

For myself, the perfect dose of Vitamin Me would involve an indulgent stay at a five star resort somewhere like Noosa (a piece of unspoiled heaven). Or perhaps a stay at Palazzo Versace which I hear is all about indulgence. I would lay on the beach or by the pool with a cocktail in one hand and a good book in the other and just relax. I would do absolutely nothing. Oh, a girl can only dream.

I might interrupt the 'nothing' for a spot of shopping and a relaxing visit to a hair salon. I would then dress up and head out for a mouth-watering seafood dinner with a calorie-laden dessert included. After all, there are no pesky bathroom scales in a Vitamin Me experience.

I'm also partial to a concert or theatre show or even a trip to one of Queensland's famously parochial rugby league stadiums, where it would be awesome to watch my Parramatta Eels beat a Queensland team ;) Or perhaps I could watch the NSW Blues regain their mojo! And since Vitamin Me is all about me, I'll take either of those experiences from a box seat.

Being a Sydney-sider, it kills me to say it, but Queensland - this is a ripper of a concept and I need some Vitamin Me immediately. Take pity on this busy mum of three boys! Living in a household filled with testosterone isn't conducive to high levels of Vitamin Me!

*This is my entry in the Nuffnang Australia and Tourism Queensland  $5000 Vitamin Me holiday blogging competition. All pictures featured in this blog post are from Tourism Queensland's website, where you'll find plenty more holiday ideas.

So where in Queensland

would you choose to get your boost of Vitamin Me?